The usa-state/illinois/" data-it-autolink="1">Illinois state seal in colour on a white field, with the word ILLINOIS added below in 1969.
The design
The Flag of Illinois is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 3:5, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses white, gold, brown, blue, red, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| Brown | brown | Suggests soil, indigenous heritage or the working land. |
| Blue | blue | Frequently symbolises sky, sea, freedom, vigilance or perseverance. |
| Red | red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The seal shows a bald eagle holding a shield with 13 stars and 13 stripes, perched on a rock inscribed "1818" (statehood year) and "1868" (seal redesign). The eagle bears a banner with the state motto: "State Sovereignty, National Union."
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Illinois — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1915. It is credited to Lucy Derwent. Earlier banners flown by Flag of Illinois reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Illinois should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Flag of Illinois | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1915 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 3:5 | height : length |
| Colours | white, gold, brown, blue, red | — |
| Designer | Lucy Derwent | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The state name was added to the flag in 1969 after a serviceman in Vietnam noted that no one recognised it — at the time, only Illinois soldiers stationed abroad knew which state it represented.
